The Betrayal of the Sidama Cause by the Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) Executives By Agreeing to Merge with PP Is a Deplorable Act of Treachery!

September 27, 2020

Press Release by The Sidama National Liberation Front (SNLF)

The Sidama nation has struggled for freedom, democracy and genuine self-rule for several decades. Since its 1890s colonial occupation, the Sidama nation as the rest of the colonies has been subjected to economic exploitation, socio-cultural relegation and political marginalisation. Fighting for their rights and dignity to be restored, tens of thousands of Sidama people have sacrificed their precious lives. The system the Sidama nation has rejected and fought against is unionist, undemocratic and unequal with its policy that has enslaved its entire subjects.

In 1991, however, TPLF’s EPRDF during its heydays has acknowledged in its constitution the demands of various nations thus theoretically guaranteed their rights to self-determination. Sadly, it has missed and abused the opportunity of honouring its promises instead indulging in nepotism and corruption by denying these very rights to the impacted nations. It had rather responded with live bullets and unprecedented levels of brutality to any questions.

The Sidama Looqqe massacre of over 69 civilian demonstrators on May 24, 2002, the Oromo massacre of tens of thousands of civilians and the unlawful incarcerations of hundreds of thousands of political figures, the Ogadenia and Gambella genocide, the Shaka Tepi massacre of over 600 civilians in 2002/2003 and the Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) massacre of over 200 civilians following the May 2005 election- are some of key drawbacks that has resulted in the Oromo led revolution of 2014 to 2017 to end EPRDF’s barbaric rule.

During the indicated Oromo led revolution, the sons and daughters of the nation have sacrificed the lives of over 5,800 civilians including the Ireechcha 2016’s massacre of over 800 Oromia civilians whose execution was coordinated by the former PM Hailemariam Desalegn (a person responsible for masterminding the Sidama Looqqe massacre of May 24, 2002). To date the current PM and his unionist henchmen are committing genocide on Oromo nation. Following the change of EPRDF, the PM who has lifted himself from EPRDF’s cadre level to the fake angel of Ethiopia and its downtrodden 115 million sent to rescue them from abject poverty and misery is acting contrary to his promises as he became the most virulent ruler ever existed in Abyssinia.

Since he has assumed power on 02, April 2018, he has coordinated the execution of over 247 Sidama civilians and the incarceration of over 5,000 from who most were intellectuals and still in jail, subjected to Covid-19 pandemic. He became the most dangerous threat to the ambitions of all nations to self-rule than his all predecessors. Moreover, the PM is also unlawfully arresting tens of thousands of Oromo civilians including famous political figures such as Obbo Bekele Garaba and Jawar Mohammed with dozens of OLF’s high level leadership. For the last 20 years, entire Oromia, Sidama and the southern nations are under state of emergency and remain so to this date. There are also the Oromo (OLF/ODF) quislings who have submitted to PP and its unionist agenda and working for the unionist ruler by totally disowning the national cause of the Oromo nation although their heinous dream never materialise.

Meanwhile, after ups and downs, huge material and human costs, the Sidama nation achieved its elementary objective of having its demand for self-rule. The success has never been without a sacrifice. As indicated, over 247 were executed by the PM’s forces since June 2018. There are hundreds of Sidama personalities who have fought for the rights of their nation – some for over 50 years and others for several decades.

Worth mentioning that the Sidama had organised its struggle under a liberation movement knows as ‘Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM) since late 1970s to fight injustice, slavery and subordination imposed by the successive Ethiopian regimes. As indicated, during these struggles between 15,000 and 25,000 sons and daughters of the Sidama nation have sacrificed their previous lives. Therefore, the SLM became the embodiment of Sidama national resistance movement fighting for freedom and equality during the Dreg’s brutal regime. The war demanded the nation a huge human and material cost and touched the houses of all Sidama people hence the SLM is considered the national heritage of the Sidama nation over which no person or persons will have authority to dismantle or trade with.

Contrary to the above, successive unionist rulers of the central governments have always done all they can to dismantle the Sidama struggle although the SLM has survived simply because the Sidama nation has guarded its liberation movement from the oppressors and their Sidama agents. The current regime of an extremely confused PM is not different from his predecessors if not the worst to pray on the Sidama’s national heritage.

Furthermore, since the PM has created his unconstitutional unionist organisation known as Exclusive Prosperity Party or Prosperity Party (EPP/PP); he is rather engaged in sabotaging of the national organisations of various nations including the Oromo’s OLF and the Sidama’s SLM as he dreams his unionist empire where he will serve as the 7th king of his utopian 18th century kingdom. Using his regional pilot parties such as OPP and SPP, he is currently engaged in dividing the leaders of these organisations. In his recent divisive project, he is masterminding Sidama- SLM’s leadership divisive project. Through his SPP cadres, he has lolled SLM’s executives into submission. The SLM’s cadres disowned the Sidama’s national cause as they agreed to merge SLM with PP.

During SPP remote managed, organised and commissioned SLM’s central committee conference held in Sidama capital Hawassa on September 19, 2020, the SLM’s current executive succumbed into the unionist agendas. The SLM’s surrendered executives inadvertently become the victims of ideological corruption and possible misguided beliefs about the objective of PP and their Sidama recruits. The SPP’s cadres were also installed in Sidama’s hard earned state (SNRS) by the unionist PM to play such a role. However, the SLM’s cadres remotely understand that SLM doesn’t belong to them alone as it is the Sidama national organisation whose values and identity is intertwined with the Sidama nation and national identity. Therefore, any action targeting SLM is a war declared on Sidama national identity.

As per SLM’s constitution, the decision of the merger by the current SLM’s leadership is expected to be ratified during the imminent general congress. The nation is extremely disturbed with the decision of SLM’s current quislings to merge its national party with the unionist. Therefore, it earnestly demands these quislings to unconditionally stop their alliance with the unionist regime prepared to dehumanise and depersonalise the Sidama nation and the rest of federalist powers.

Finally, the Sidama national liberation Front denounces with all possible terms that the planned merger of the SLM with PP and unconditionally demands the quislings to voluntarily stepdown during the upcoming SLM’s general congress and return the Sidama’s national organisation to the nation who has paid dearly with the blood and bones of its sons and daughters. We make it unequivocally clear to the enemies and friends that the SLM is the Sidama’s national organisation as is the OLF to Oromo. Therefore, the surrender of its current few inapt executives that remained docile during the struggle of the nation never stops the ideals of the SLM and the Sidama’s move toward its national objective. Equally, we applaud the heroic courage and determination of three SLM’s executives who have rejected to the ideas of the merger.

Therefore, we urge the Sidama nation to stand steadfast and united in denouncing the current unholy union of the SLM’s treacherous and corrupt cadres with the unionist PP whose ambition is very anti-Sidama and anti-federalist powers. We, therefore demand the current surrendered SLM’s leaders to unconditionally resign from their positions and stop their unholy union with the unionist oppressors.

The Sidama National Liberation Front (SNLF)

September 27, 2020